The International Biathlon Union's Anti-Doping Panel Hearing dismissed cases against nine Kazakhstan biathletes ©Getty Images

The International Biathlon Union's (IBU) Anti-Doping Hearing Panel (ADHP) has dismissed cases against nine Kazakhstan biathletes and lifted their competition suspensions.

The IBU alleged that the biathletes possessed and attempted to use a prohibited method under articles 2.2 and 2.6 of the IBU's anti-doping rules.

ADHP concluded that evidence in the cases against Darya Klimina-Ussanova, Galina Vishnevskaya, 2015 Winter Universiade gold medallist Alina Raikova and Maxim Braun did not justify the conclusion to the satisfaction of the panel that a prohibited method was involved.

The findings also applied to the cases against Asian Games gold medallists Olga Poltoranina and Yan Savitsky, Anna Kistanova, Anton Pantov and Vassiliy Podkorytov.

In its ruling, the ADHP said: "The IBU's request for a finding of anti-doping rule violations, committed by the athletes is dismissed for all nine cases.

"The provisional suspensions imposed on the athletes by the IBU in November 2018 are lifted with immediate effect. 

"The provisional suspension against Galina Vishnevskaya was lifted by Court of Arbitration for Sport Order already in February 2019.

"The athletes' request for a contribution towards the athletes' legal and other costs related to these proceedings to be paid by the IBU is dismissed, as well as all further requests by the IBU and the athletes."

Galina Vishnevskaya from Kazakhstan had her provisional suspension from competition lifted in February ©Getty Images
Galina Vishnevskaya from Kazakhstan had her provisional suspension from competition lifted in February ©Getty Images

In November, the IBU confirmed the provisional suspensions were linked to investigations being carried out in Austria and Italy.

Vishnevskaya is a double Winter Universiade gold medallist, winning mass start and sprint titles at Almaty 2017 in front of a home crowd.

She also earned two silver medals, adding to one claimed at the 2015 event at Osrblie in Slovakia.

In March 2018, Kazakhstan's biathlon team doctor Khossilbek Tagayev was provisionally suspended after the Italian police found banned substance prednisolone in his hotel room.

It came during searches of the accommodation of Kazakhstan's biathlon team during a World Cup event in Antholz in South Tyrol in January 2018, conducted by the Italian police.

The raid was directly linked to the probe conducted by Austrian authorities at the Hochfilzen World Championships, where several medical products were seized and 10 athletes were detained. 

Later, the Kazakh athletes implicated took tests to check for doping but they all produced negative results.